


Espy

by Maria_Antonina



Series: Under One Small Star [3]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-07
Updated: 2013-09-07
Packaged: 2017-12-25 22:20:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/958258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maria_Antonina/pseuds/Maria_Antonina
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The reports from the guards started flowing in not a minute after the turbulence subsided. The hull hadn’t been breached, they said. The trespasser must have set off one of the traps, they speculated. Meanwhile, Feron’s shoulder kept tightening and his frown deepening, the cogs behind those big, amphibian eyes turning at double speed. If Kasumi was lucky - and luck was a big part of this whole affair, so far - he’d cave under the pressure before the rest of security made it back.</p>
<p>An interlude for 'Under One Small Star'. Shepard has this way of pulling Kasumi into jobs she’d never consider under normal circumstances.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Espy

_For any man with half an eye,_

_What stands before him may espy;_

_But optics sharp it needs I ween,_

_To see what is not to be seen._

\- John Trumbull, _McFingal_

 

_*_

 

The corridor was flooded in red light, the sounds of heavy boots thumping down somewhere nearby almost drowned by the sudden howl of the alarm. No less than two dozen armed guards started sweeping down the deck, barking out commands and cursing at one another as they went.

 

Kasumi stayed silent.

 

A pair of salarians ran past her, one of them speaking animatedly into his omni-tool. They didn’t notice her, just like the rest of their squad hadn’t noticed her before. She was starting to get a cramp, squeezed into the tiny corner where nobody would bump into her, and getting a serious case of frustrated boredom.

 

The clock on one of the screens in the security office told her it had now been eight hours since she boarded the ghost ship. Roughly twelve since she had last eaten. About forever since the goddamned drell so much as blinked, fixed to his chair and staring at the screens as if salvation could appear on them any moment now. She remembered the guy being more fun - but then again, the last time she'd seen him he was strapped down and plugged into the old Broker’s ship engine or something.

 

She wondered idly what the current Broker is going to do with him when - _if_. If she discovered how badly had he screwed up. Judging by the slightest frown on his otherwise blank face, he probably had an idea and wasn’t entirely pleased with it.

 

As entertaining as this was, Kasumi needed to pick up the pace. It had taken them eight hours to realise she was there at all, and risking another ten would be pushing it a little. She hadn’t spent over a year researching this gig just to stand around _waiting_ for the regrets to kick in.

 

There was a row of tiny, black buttons on a remote attached to her left wrist. She pressed the far right one and counted to ten.

 

Then, she held tight as the ship shook with the strength of the blast three decks above.

 

Feron did not move. He was very careful like that. He did, however, risk a glance to the side, where the emergency fire extinguishers were stored, which was far less careful and had Kasumi smirking to herself with satisfaction.

 

The reports from the guards started flowing in not a minute after the turbulences subsided. The hull hadn’t been breached, they said. The trespasser must have set off one of the traps, they speculated. Meanwhile, Feron’s shoulders kept tightening and his frown deepening, the cogs behind those big, amphibian eyes turning at double speed. If Kasumi was lucky - and luck was a big part of this whole affair, so far - he’d cave under the pressure before the rest of security made it back.

 

His long fingers started drumming on the console in front of him.

 

_Come on, come on, comeoncomeoncomeon-_

 

Feron rubbed his temples, cursing under his breath. Then, and Kasumi’s heart actually skipped a beat at that, he said seemingly to himself:

 

“I’m going in. Meet me there.”

 

She squeezed herself out of her corner and nearly ran into the office, feeling her knees threatening to crack audibly after long hours of disuse. If the data she had was correct - oh pray God it was correct - she’d have less than forty seconds to get to her destination before all hell broke loose.

 

Feron, always the smart guy, looked around anxiously before punching in the code that opened the hidden hatch. Kasumi, always polite, waited until he was finished before uncloaking and putting a taser to his back. She was past the little door and making her way down the ladder in time to hear his body hit the floor.

 

She cloaked herself again just as she reached the last steps, but there was nobody in the dark corridor- nobody she could see, at least.

 

Aware of how little time she had, she didn't bother making a full scan before moving on. The long stretch between where she was and the door at the end was bound to be loaded with more traps than the whole ship altogether. A quick sweep with her omni-tool pinpointed the more dangerous spots – the rest, she would have to deal with them as she went.

 

“STOP!”

 

Kasumi didn't waste any more time. She pressed all the buttons on her wrist at once, activating another two bombs upstairs, tripling her shields and – hopefully – opening a comm with her partners outside.

 

“I'm in” she whispered, beginning to run. “Start recording!”

 

She regretted complaining about the boredom before. She got knocked off balance by a well-placed explosive several times and soon enough, somebody was shooting at her back, too. By the time she reached the door, her shields were stripped to minimum and her knees and elbows hurt from when she landed on all fours in a clumsy attempt to duck.

 

Surprisingly, the door wasn't encrypted, simply locked. It saved her two crucial seconds and let her smash it shut right in Feron's furious face.

 

Then, she gave herself a fraction of a moment to breathe.

 

The room was dimly lit, with faint beeping noises in the background reminding her of a hospital. Turning around, she saw the massive window first. There was no window on the outside of the ship.

 

Then, the chair.

 

More of a bed than a chair, strictly speaking. The figure in it was hooked up to several drips and quite sophisticated looking machinery. Cautiously, still aware of the drell banging on the other side of the door, she made her way around.

 

It was him. Asleep – or so it seemed.

 

He didn't look that much older, she mused, coming closer. The scars on his face were largely the same, and the greying blonde hair softened his rough features.

 

At first, she felt warmer inside, just seeing him breathing, calm and peaceful. Then she registered the numerous cords and cables, several connected to his temples, and let the anger take over.

 

“Shepard,” she said, a little harsher than intended, reaching for his arms.

 

He opened his eyes.

 

Kasumi didn't see the knife until it was already piercing her side.

**Author's Note:**

> Reviewed, polished and beautified by mythicbeast.


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